With Valentine’s Day behind us the holiday season is officially over and the march towards summer officially begins. And you know what goes with summer ladies? That’s right — bathing suits! And for us over fifty women that can present a major challenge. Now is the time to start thinking about how we are going to get these middle aged bodies fit and in shape in time to enjoy the summer.

I always enjoyed going out for Valentine’s Day. It made me feel special to have my husband plan an evening (even though I did most of the planning) and I would get all dressed up for the occasion. Now that I’m middle aged I find that all the hype associated with this holiday is just that — hype. You spend a lot of money eating food you really are not crazy about from a very limited menu and you spend a fortune!

Some might call me over the hill, others may refer to me as middle aged, but I don’t care about labels so commonly used to refer to women over fifty. Unfortunately along with these labels comes a long list of how we should act, dress, etc. and I refuse to let others define me. I prefer to define myself with words like fierce and fearless and when it comes to my outside appearance, flirty is my favorite adjective. Flirty at 65? You bet, especially when it comes to dressing for a special occasion like Valentine’s Day. Don’t you agree?

Yes, I know it’s Super Bowl Sunday and yes I do know we ladies want to have fun today. And yes I know that many of us don’t like to exercise on Sunday. Okay, now raise your hand if you’re planning on enjoying this special day with some wings, chips and dip, cheesy nachos, maybe some pigs in the blanket, pizza and some beer. If your hand is in the air let’s be smart and get these over fifty bodies moving a little. You can do this quick workout while you watch the halftime entertainment. Or be smart and pregame before the party starts. Either way this short routine will get your heart racing and your blood pumping and your metabolism rising.

How many ab movements can you show me? I bet you know a lot. All us over fifty women have been working our abs forever and yet we still have that roll. This video has some classic movements that will get the job done if you work it. We call things “classic” when they’ve been around forever and are of good quality. Like us classic ladies. It’s important to do these exercise with an engaged core — that means you want to pull everything in tight and make your belly button feel like it’s reaching for the spine.

There’s no disguising rough, cracked and uneven skin . . . especially when you’re over fifty. Two of the most important things you can do to improve the quality and appearance of your middle-aged skin is to regularly exfoliate and moisturize. And I’m not just talking about your face — your entire body needs this loving attention too.

Hey Ladies! Who wants to look and feel sexy in time for Valentine’s Day? I know I do! For the next two weeks I’m going to share with you some of my fabulous tips and tricks to boost your confidence and tone up those sexy muscles in time for the 14th. Just because you’re middle aged is no excuse not to get your groove on. There’s no better gift than looking and feeling great!

I’ve had an issue with my teeth since I’ve been a little girl. I had what were called “soft teeth” which meant that I was cavity prone. Coupled with the fact that I ate a lot of candy, going to the dentist was an ongoing chore and very unpleasant. My dentist never gave me any type of numbing medicine and I’m certain most of you know they were around fifty years ago. He actually removed a nerve from my tooth which landed me in the emergency room of a local hospital that night because the pain was so excruciating. The one thing I remembered the most about this dentist was the green plastic awnings outside his building.

Don’t you wish you knew some little tricks and secrets that would help your middle aged body respond better to exercise? See results a little faster? Maybe see some nice definition in your calf or arm? The truth is that even if you work with a trainer, most don’t have experience working with women over fifty. I am 64 and have been exercising for over forty years and I have learned some great tricks from some of the best trainers. You will be surprised how changing things up a bit can make your workouts more effective.

Here’s my Thursday, Friday and Saturday food journal. Let’s face it: the weekend starts on Thursday for most of us. That being said these days are super critical in weight management. We think of the weekends as a time of letting loose and eating and drinking more than we usually do so it’s very important to be extra mindful during this period of the week. When I started incorporating an extra cardio workout on Sundays and since I always exercise on Saturday, I usually rest on Fridays. It’s important to allow yourself one super hearty meal (most people refer to it as a “cheat meal” but I don’t think of it as a cheat, it’s just a little extra that I let myself have). I think you need one meal when you actually feel super stuffed to remind yourself how terrible it actually feels.

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WHO IS PHYLLIS and WHY SHOULD YOU FOLLOW ME?

I decided to start this website because I was tired of seeing and hearing the same old dialogue about middle aged women, regardless of what number you put on that term. You would think we couldn’t hear what was being said. Does the population at large think we are just invisible? In fact, for the most part, they do and we are. But who is to blame? Or better yet, what can we do to change this notion, both within society but more importantly, within ourselves?